Power Generation Technologies - Exam Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics from CME/EGR/MNG 542 Exam #2, including wind, hydroelectric, biomass, solar (PV and CSP), and nuclear power generation technologies.

Biomass Energy Density

A key deficiency of biomass fuel characterized by its low energy content relative to volume and mass compared to fossil fuels such as coal.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)

A wind turbine design whose main rotor shaft is oriented vertically, noted for being less efficient than conventional horizontal axis wind turbines.

Hydroelectric Power Determinants

The primary physical parameters determining hydroelectric generation output: hydraulic head, flow rate, and gravity, which operate independently of the installation's physical scale.

$\text{CO}_2$ Neutrality (Biomass)

The classification of biomass as a carbon-neutral fuel resource because the $\text{CO}_2$ released during combustion is eventually reabsorbed from the atmosphere by new plant growth through photosynthesis.

Uranium Enrichment

The physical process used to increase the concentration of fissile $\text{U}^{235}$ from natural levels in yellowcake ($\text{U}_3\text{O}_8$) up to $3\%\text{ to }5\%$ for use as commercial nuclear fission fuel.

Yellowcake ($\text{U}_3\text{O}_8$)

A refined uranium concentrate powder extracted by leaching uranium ore prior to subsequent chemical conversion and enrichment.

Tidal Power Generation

A hydroelectric generation method that operates fundamentally like traditional hydro, but exploits ocean tides to generate electricity as water flows bidirectionally.

Betz Limit

The theoretical maximum fluid-dynamic efficiency limit describing the maximum proportion of kinetic energy that can be extracted from wind by an open rotor.

Pumped Hydro Storage

A commercial grid-scale indirect electricity storage method that pumps water between reservoirs of different elevations to store and generate gravitational potential energy.

Passive Solar Design

An architectural approach that optimizes building geometry, orientation, and materials to naturally collect and distribute solar thermal energy rather than generating electricity via photovoltaic cells.

Three Gorges Dam

The world's largest power generation facility, located in China, possessing a generating capacity exceeding that of the eight largest dams in the United States combined.

Solar Water Heater

A solar thermal device that absorbs solar radiation, including infrared radiation, enabling hot water production even during overcast or cloudy conditions.

Biomass Pelletization

The mechanical compaction of raw biomass into dense, uniform pellets to increase bulk energy density and reduce transportation and handling costs prior to combustion.

Wind Turbine Power Production Criteria

The three foundational parameters governing wind turbine power: wind speed (velocity), blade/rotor swept area, and air density, with wind speed being the most critical factor.

Nuclear Fission Chain Reaction

A self-sustaining process where an incident neutron splits a heavy fissile nucleus, releasing large amounts of kinetic energy, fission fragments, and additional neutrons that propagate further fissions.

Mass Defect

The missing mass observed between the initial reactants and resulting products in a nuclear reaction, which is converted directly into released energy according to the mass-energy equivalence equation $E = mc^2$.

Spent Nuclear Fuel Policy (US)

Government policy and non-proliferation regulations, rather than technological limitations or direct processing costs, that serve as the primary reason spent nuclear fuel is not reprocessed in the United States.

Shippingport Atomic Power Station

The first commercial civilian nuclear power plant to operate in the United States.

Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

The most widely deployed commercial nuclear reactor type worldwide, utilizing pressurized liquid water as both primary coolant and neutron moderator.

Kazakhstan (Uranium Production)

The nation that serves as the single largest producer of mined uranium in the global market.

Small Modular Reactor (SMR)

A class of compact nuclear fission reactors built with factory-fabricated modular components, offering enhanced passive safety systems, lower capital risks, and simplified transport compared to traditional reactors.

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System

A solar technology that converts sunlight directly into electrical current using semiconductor materials through the photovoltaic effect.

Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

A solar technology that utilizes mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a receiver to heat a thermal fluid, subsequently generating steam to drive a turbine and generator.